Taking the fight to the frontline - a note about party political conferences

David Donnison

I went to the Labour Party’s Brighton Conference to help with the stall
set up there by our colleagues in VES. Our members may like to know what
happened and to reflect on plans for future political conferences.

It is always a pleasure to work with Michael Irwin, VES’s chairman, John
Oliver, their Director and their colleagues. They had just come from the
Liberal Democrats’ Conference which had, by a large majority, called for
a major public inquiry into the law and practice surrounding death.

We had a reasonable site but were approached on the first morning by another
exhibitor whose massive display would not fit into the space allotted to
him. Would we swap? Since his was right by the main entrance to the Conference
Centre we were delighted to do so.

A modest but steady flow of people came to talk to us thoughout the week:
MPs and MEPs, trade union and constituency delegates, visitors from Britain
and abroad - Mrs Blair among them - other exhibitors, and staff of the
Centre. Most were supporters of our cause; many were moved to talk with
us by experiences of death in their own families; no-one was overtly hostile;
and most people took living wills, leaflets and other material away with
them.

Some trade unionists and Party members said they would ask the VES office
for speakers, or for briefing to help one of their own people lead a discussion
of euthanasia at a branch meeting. Annie Lindsell came to speak at our
fringe meeting which was a thoughtful, supportive gathering, but rather
poorly attended - probably because we had no major political figures with
us. (Must do better next year!) VESS members who were so moved when Annie
spoke to us last year in Aberdeen would have been dismayed to see how weak
she had become. Motor neurone disease restricted her breathing and made
every movement difficult. She had kept going out of sheer, belligerent
determination to demand before the High Court her right to a physician-assisted
suicide. No candle in the wind: more an incandescent flame, finally running
on empty. Our movement owes her a great deal.

I attended the fringe meeting organized by HOPE - “Health Professionals
Opposed to Euthanasia” - and spoke briefly there. This meeting was held
outside the security perimeter which encircled the Conference Centre and
neighbouring hotels, so those who came - a larger crowd than ours - were
local medical and nursing staff, with a sprinkling of local VES members;
not Conference delegates. We were addressed by people well known in their
movement but there was no politician. I would not trust any of them to
treat Annie Lindsell with the respect she deserves.

The Conservative Conference, held the following week, refused to let VES
in - as they did last year. Nevertheless, to show they are a serious group
who are not going to be brushed off, VES invited a wide selection of their
MPs to come to a fringe meeting. None of them replied.

What should be our own policy about future political conferences? I believe
it is important for VESS to be there:

to get people used to our ideas and to demonstrate that we are persistent,
intelligent people who are steadily gaining support;

to expose ourselves to the views and feelings of a wide cross section of
our fellow citizens - there were 25,000 of them at the Labour Conference
- and to gain practice in talking with people who may not agree with us;
and

to keep in touch with our friends in VES and learn from the experience
of this much larger organization by helping to run the same stall and talking
to each other in the evenings.

However, mounting an exhibition at the national conference is expensive
- about £10,000 this year. To this £10,000 must be added the time, travel
and hotel expenses of the team who go to the conference. VES sent four.

With the support of our colleagues in London, I suggest that we try to
send someone to help them at some of the national conferences, but do not
share costs. It would be their “show”. Meanwhile we should exhibit at the
cheaper Scottish conferences of all the main Parties and invite VES to
send a representative to join us at any they would like to attend. I asked
a couple of Scottish MPs if the Scottish Parliament would be able to take
up the issue of euthanasia. They hadn’t a clue; but we should be prepared.